Kicking off at $45,500 for the Cooper S and $55,100 for the John Cooper Works variant, topdown motoring in MINI's newest offering will demand a $2510 and $2500 premium over the Coupe model.

Sharing its platform and go-fast bits with the Coupe, the MINI Roadster pair is powered by a twin-turbo and direct-injected 1.6 litre engine offering 135kW and 240Nm in the Cooper S, and 155kW/260Nm in the top-shelf JCW.

With the car's overboost function engaged, torque increases to 260Nm in the Cooper S and 280Nm in the JCW.

In the Cooper S, the 0-100km/h sprint is covered in 7.0 seconds, with fuel consumption figures listed at 5.4 l/100km.

The engine in the JCW Roadster benefits from a modified cylinder head, pistons, crankshaft, turbo and exhaust system, giving it a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds. Fuel consumption is listed at 7.3 l/100km.

Both cars are paired to a six-speed manual transmission as standard. A six-speed auto is on the options list for the Cooper S, but it can't be had with the JCW.

Suspension is MacPherson struts up front, teamed with a multi-link arrangement at the rear. As it has with the Roadster's Coupe sibling, MINI promises "a new interpretation of the time-honoured MINI go-kart feeling".

A Sport Button on the centre console, standard in the the JCW Roadster and optionally available for all other model versions, allows the driver to adjust the car’s steering characteristics and accelerator responses.

Watch for more details on the Roadster and Coupe as they near their February launch.